When Dana was at The Waterfont Centre she had a marvellous herb garden. After the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, the Waterfront was the second hotel in Canada to have its own bee hives. When Dana Hauser worked there she was the first female executive chef in the entire Fairmont chain. She served this fabulous dish at the hotel restaurant, then named Heron’s with pan-seared Qualicum bay scallops. 4 slices double smoked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 large carrots small diced 1 rib celery small diced 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ lb green dry lentils, rinsed in cold water 1 litre chicken stock ½ teaspoon fresh thyme 1 bay leaf ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, with a little extra for garnish 1 cup dry red wine or dry sherry Heat a large, thick-bottomed pot (6 to 8 quart) on medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until much of the fat has rendered out and the bacon is browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, onions, celery, stirring frequently, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan, cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant. Deglaze with red wine or dry sherry. Add the rinsed lentils, stock, thyme, bay leaf. Add a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. You will season more to taste later. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook partially covered until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Correct seasoning if necessary. Chef Dana Hauser Raised on the East Coast of Canada, Chef Hauser developed a natural passion for local ingredients and being true to the product. She currently works for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in Austin,...

Serve this fabulous dish over double-smoked bacon and caramelized-onion Du Puy lentils with a Saskatoon berry gastrique. It’s a great combination. Rub for the Pork Belly: 5 lbs rind-on pork belly ¼ cup Kosher salt 2 tsp black pepper; restaurant grind 1 tbsp crushed caraway seeds 1 tbsp dry mustard powder – Keen’s ½ cup soy sauce 1 cup brown sugar ¾ cup bourbon ¼ cup coarsely chopped toasted almond slices Pre-heat oven to 275°. Mix all the rub ingredients together and rub the pork belly generously and aggressively; let rest at room temperature for 35 minutes. In a pan large enough to hold the belly on medium low heat, render the rind side of the belly until golden brown, approximately 10-15 min. Adjust the temperature as needed to maintain a nice browning. Place the pork belly rind up in a roasting pan on a rack and cover. Place in the oven and roast for five hours. Every hour pour an additional ounce of bourbon over the belly. Test for tenderness with a fork, if the meat is near falling apart remove from the oven, sprinkle with almonds and let cool over night in the refrigerator. Once cold, cut the belly into four to five ounce portions and place on a baking sheet for re-heat. Re-heat will be done at 350* for twelve minutes. Place 1 cup of water and ½ cup of bourbon in the roasting pan, deglaze and reduce. Reserve this liquid to pour over the pork...

This year (2016) the world is celebrating pulses…those amazing, protein-packed, easy to cook legumes that are so at home in Canada. Here’s a recipe that you can use at any time of the year. The ‘burger’ mixture can be prepared a day ahead of time and cooked either for full size burger buns but we love them as sliders. Top them with lentil sprouts (to carry on the same colour theme, we sprout beluga...

Both Harissa with its characteristic heat and the lemony-flavoured Sumac are available at Persian food markets. Like many of the other recipes, the Lentil Ragout, this time well-endowed with Chorizo and kale, could easily stand on its own The Fish: ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp sumac 1 Tbsp Harissa chili powder 1 tsp salt ½ cup red lentils, toasted and ground 1 cup all purpose flour 4 large pickerel fillets olive oil for...

When Dana was at The Waterfont Centre she had a marvellous herb garden. After the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, the Waterfront was the second hotel in Canada to have its own bee hives. When Dana Hauser worked there she was the first female executive chef in the entire Fairmont chain. She served...

Pay homage to the grill with your favourite Canadian beef steak. The sauce in this recipe goes well with any Grilling or Marinating steak — it’s somewhat smoky and spicy and loaded with garden vegetables. If you can’t take the heat, reduce the amount of chipotle pepper by half....

This year (2016) the world is celebrating pulses…those amazing, protein-packed, easy to cook legumes that are so at home in Canada. Here’s a recipe that you can use at any time of the year. The ‘burger’ mixture can be prepared a day ahead of time and cooked either for full size burger buns but we...

Both Harissa with its characteristic heat and the lemony-flavoured Sumac are available at Persian food markets. Like many of the other recipes, the Lentil Ragout, this time well-endowed with Chorizo and kale, could easily stand on its own The Fish: ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp sumac 1 Tbsp Harissa...

This is a wonderful home-style Persian dish, the kind that Hamid grew up enjoying. The Cucumber Sauce is more of a method than an actual recipe. Like all great chefs, he tastes as he goes. He’ll combine a cup or so of rich yogurt and grate in a clove of garlic (or more if you like garlic)....

This dish is a serious course in the elements of classic French cooking. The Braised French Lentil Ragout is outstanding. And yes, bison are being farmed (ranched?) on Vancouver Island, near Black Creek in the lush Comox River Valley. For six servings 6 X 4 oz Island Bison Tenderloin 3 Tbsp...